Rogan tree of life
A tree of life in Nirona's rogan art: castor-oil paste pulled with a stylus onto maroon cloth, one half folded over to print its mirror, and buds circling Ganesh like a garba ring.
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Rogan painting comes from Nirona, a village in the Kutch district of Gujarat, where one family of the Khatri community has kept it alive for generations. Castor oil is boiled for many hours until it thickens into a sticky paste, which is mixed with mineral colours and laid on the palm. The painter lifts a thread of paste with a thin metal stylus and draws it onto dark cotton without the stylus ever touching the cloth. Often only half of a design is painted; the cloth is then folded and pressed, so the other half prints as its mirror image. The tree of life is its best-known motif.
This film follows that method: the tree of life grows from its root on one half and the other half unfolds as its mirror print, the photo frame and a pair of peacocks fold open the same way, and buds circle Ganesh like a garba ring for the new year. The artwork is drawn in the rogan style for this film; it is not painted by the rogan artists of Nirona.
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